Boat trips from El Arenal, Playa de Palma and Can Pastilla

An El Arenal boat trip saves you the journey into Palma and puts you closer to the coves on the Llucmajor side. Boats leave from the beach, next to Club Nàutic S'Arenal, and from the sailing club at Can Pastilla, at the other end of Playa de Palma. From here, the Cala Blava and Cap Enderrocat coast is much closer than from Palma: less time sailing, more time in the water.

The main operator is Life & Sea, with catamarans, a snorkelling boat, dolphin trips and Cabrera. Sa Calma Boats leaves Can Pastilla with shorter, cheaper trips. What you won't find here are party boats: the law doesn't let them pick people up on Playa de Palma or in S'Arenal.

Where to board in S'Arenal and Can Pastilla

S'Arenal. Life & Sea's boarding office is on Calle Balneario, at the end of the beach, next to Club Nàutic S'Arenal. You reach it across the sand, through some gates, not through the club entrance, and it isn't wheelchair-accessible. Watch out with map apps: the club is in the municipality of Llucmajor (Calle Roses), not Palma.

Can Pastilla. You board at the sailing club entrance, at Calle de les Nanses 7. According to Life & Sea, you get there on buses 31, 32, 35 or A2 to the "Cala Estancia" stop and walk 5 minutes. With luggage, a pushchair or older people it's a better option than S'Arenal, because you don't have to cross the beach.

Other points. Club Nàutic Cala Gamba, between Palma and Can Pastilla, is the meeting point for jet-ski tours of the bay. Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa, in Can Pastilla, has berths and a sailing school, but doesn't advertise boat trips.

El Arenal boat trip prices

Adult prices on Life & Sea's website (lifeandsea.com):

Children aged 3 to 12 pay half price on the catamarans. If you pay online, Life & Sea adds a 2.5% card fee. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before; if they change the departure because of the weather, there's no compensation.

Sa Calma Boats, from Can Pastilla: 2-hour morning trip for €29, bay trip with a swim and snorkelling (2 h 30) for €39, the marine-reserve route with caves, stand-up paddleboarding and snorkelling (3 h) for €39 and a barbecue with snorkelling (3 h) for €59. It sails daily from April to October and allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Catamaran from S'Arenal: 2 hours, 4 hours or at sunset

Life & Sea's catamaran has two toilets and freshwater showers. There are three formats:

• 2 hours (€40), at 14:30 or 15:30. Snorkelling included, but no food. It's the cheapest and the least commitment.
• 4 hours (€65), at 10:00. Barbecue with pasta salad and bread, one drink (beer, sangria or water), snorkelling and a life jacket. It's the one we recommend for families: it leaves in the morning, when the sea is calmer.
• 3-hour sunset (€75), at 17:00 or 18:30. Barbecue, one drink and snorkelling, and children are welcome, unlike the Barca Samba and the adults-only Oasis sunset trips.

On all three, the cocktail bar is extra and you can't bring your own drinks on board. The skipper may refuse someone for safety reasons (pregnancy, mobility, age); mention it when you book. Life & Sea doesn't publish the boat's capacity: ask if a less crowded boat matters to you. More options in the catamaran in Palma guide.

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Dolphins, Cabrera and Es Trenc from Playa de Palma

Dolphins. Life & Sea runs 3-hour trips from S'Arenal at 06:00 (sunrise), 09:15 and 12:45, and from Can Pastilla at 09:30, for €80 (children aged 3 to 12, €70). After looking for dolphins they stop for a swim in a cove. The 06:00 trip is the only sunrise departure in the whole bay; bring a jacket. The chances are good, but nobody guarantees a sighting, and a legal trip doesn't chase or circle them: we cover it in dolphin watching.

Cabrera. This is the only day trip to Cabrera from the Bay of Palma: €90 (children €70), leaving at 10:00 from Can Pastilla and 10:15 from S'Arenal, back at 18:15 and 18:30. It passes Cap Rocat, Cabo Blanco, Cala Pi and Es Trenc, lands on Cabrera and stops at the Cova Blava. That's 9 hours; if you'd rather spend less time on the boat, departures from Colònia de Sant Jordi cross in much less time.

Es Trenc. The "beach taxi" costs €40 and leaves at 10:00 from Can Pastilla and 10:15 from S'Arenal. The boat doesn't reach the sand: it drops you at Colònia de Sant Jordi harbour, and from there it's about a 20-minute walk to Es Trenc. You get about five free hours, roughly 11:45 to 16:45. More in full day at Es Trenc.

Cala Blava and Cap Enderrocat: the marine reserve

The whole coast between Club Nàutic S'Arenal and Cap de Regana is the Reserva Marina de la Badia de Palma (Bay of Palma Marine Reserve), created in 1982: 2,379 hectares down to 30 m deep, with a special protection area of 243 hectares around Cap Enderrocat, where there are artificial reefs. Nearly half the seabed is posidonia seagrass meadow.

It's the same coast the big catamarans cross to from Palma: Cova Verda, Cap Rocat, Cala Vella and Cala Blava. From S'Arenal or Can Pastilla you get there sooner.

At Cala Blava there is a regulated buoy field where you can't drop anchor: boats tie up to the buoys. If you're on a private boat, the buoy is booked on the day through PortsIB (half day for 8 m, from €3.93). Anchoring on posidonia is banned throughout the Balearics. Life & Sea runs a 3-hour route to Cabo Blanco (09:30 from Can Pastilla, 09:45 from S'Arenal, €45) with snorkelling included.

Party boats on Playa de Palma: what the law says

A Balearic decree (Decree-law 1/2020, article 8) bans boats offering parties with music and alcohol from picking up or dropping off passengers on Playa de Palma, in S'Arenal and in Magaluf, and from coming within one nautical mile of their coast. The fine ranges from €60,001 to €600,000. The rule is in force until 31 December 2027.

If someone offers you a party boat with a beach pick-up, be wary. Legal parties leave from the port of Palma: the Barca Samba boards at the Golondrinas quay, and its evening and night trips are for over-18s only. We explain it in the party boat guide.

Getting there: buses, car and on foot

Line numbers and routes change: check them first at emtpalma.cat. By car, Life & Sea recommends parking around Son Veri Nou, near S'Arenal, rather than hunting for a space by the beach.

If you'd rather board in Palma, several operators pick up from hotels on Playa de Palma: Palma Cruises runs a transfer that leaves El Dorado at 09:00 and reaches Can Pastilla at 09:45, and Magic picks up from El Dorado. What leaves from Palma is in boat trips from Palma.

Boat and aquarium on the same day

Palma Aquarium is on Playa de Palma (Calle Manuela de los Herreros i Sorà 21). It's open daily from 09:30 to 18:30, last entry at 17:00; allow two hours. It has a shark tank it presents as one of the deepest and largest in Europe (3.5 million litres). General admission costs €30.50 (children aged 3 to 12, €19.50) and there is currently 15% off tickets from 14:00 (check the current offer on its website). It has a free outdoor car park.

The ideal plan: catamaran in the morning and aquarium in the afternoon, or Life & Sea's combo for €75. More in the Palma Aquarium guide.

Which El Arenal boat trip to choose and when to go

Our picks from El Arenal

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The sea is calmer in the morning: the south-westerly breeze (the embat) gets up after midday and peaks around 14:00. If you get seasick, choose the 10:00 catamaran or the early dolphin trips. More in weather in Palma.